The Tell-Tale Stain

"You don't mind? What about your breakfast?" Lacey asked her close friend.

"This won't take long, and I can have it when I get back. You made it sound like your mom already is backed up on making everyone's omelets," Ramsey assured her friend.

"Thanks so much! I don't want to take any risks and re-twist this darn ankle again. I'm already worried about how it's going to last for ice skating today, but I need to check on Austin. Newt made it sound like he was up sick all night," Lacey explained as she finished changing clothes in the master suite.

The two teenagers left the bedroom and walked over to the front door to bundle up for the cold weather outside. Lacey didn't tell Ramsey that she wanted to avoid her parents as much as possible after last night. She was also worried about how she would react to seeing Sean, so leaving the cabin to check on Austin would help give her more time to prepare to be around them.

"Looks like it's getting windy out there," Ramsey remarked as she peered out the window along the side of the front door. Glancing over, she noticed Lacey's had her back to her as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. "Hey, it looks like you spilled something on your coat."

"What? Where?" the petite redhead asked, scanning her coat for what Rammy was talking about.

"On the back of your arm, the right one," Ramsey informed her.

Pulling the arm of her coat over, Lacey could make out some white spots. She hurriedly unbuttoned her jacket and took it off. Laying it over the stairs' bottom spindle, she stared at several white spots of different sizes, including one spot that looked to be more of a smear.

"It wasn't there when we got back from the hike to the pond yesterday, so you must have rubbed on something later on in the night," Ramsey conjectured as she stood next to her friend.

"Oh, my gawd!" exclaimed Lacey as the realization hit her. She quickly pulled the coat back and clutched it to her, hiding the stains against her body.

"Do you know what it is?" Ramsey asked, a little taken aback by the worried way her friend looked around.

"No! I--not really. I need to clean this right now!" Lacey blurted out as she moved toward the stairs that went to the lower level.

"Wait, I thought you didn't want to take any stairs by yourself," Ramsey called out to her friend.

"I'll be fine. You can go have your breakfast now. Sorry to bother you!" she said over her shoulder while already a few steps down the stairs.

The red-haired teenager stood at the top of the stairs and watched in bewilderment as her friend descended and then disappeared from sight. Sighing, she mumbled to herself, "Sometimes I seem to have the strangest friends." After returning her coat to the front closet, Ramsey went to join the others for breakfast.

"Good morning, Rammy. Did you sleep well?" asked Rachel with a smile.

"A lot better than I expected. Can I have my usual when you get the chance?"

"Sure thing. I only have the Whitney and Harvey to finish, so have a seat as it won't be long," Mrs. Stratton told her.

"Hey, Ramsey. How you doing today?" Jared asked while instantly regretting the way it came out.

"Morning, Jared. Morning, Newt," the teen greeted both boys who were sitting next to each other at the kitchen island. "I'm alright. How are you two this morning?"

"Okay, maybe later--," Jared started before being interrupted.

"Great! It's such a nice morning," Newt cheerfully answered. Jared seemed a little perturbed by the interruption.

"Aren't you in a good mood this morning," Ramsey added with a laugh. Newt usually came across as downbeat with his quiet demeanor. "I'm going to go join Whitney. Talk to you later." Pouring a glass of milk, she left to sit with her friend.

"What's got you in such a cheerful mood?" Jared asked Newt, who shrugged as a reply. "If I didn't know better, I would think you got laid last night," he whispered so the others in the kitchen wouldn't hear. This time Newt choked on his cereal as his reply.

"Newt, are you alright?" Mrs. Stratton turned and asked in concern.

"I'm good. Just went down wrong."

"Sorry, man. I was just joking around," Jared apologized once Rachel's attention turned back to her cooking. "Did something happen last night?"

"No! I mean, what would have happened. I just fell asleep on the couch over in front of the fireplace before waking up and going back to the bunkroom," Newt narrated. However, the other teen still eyed him with suspicion.

"Whatever you say. Let me ask you something else then. What's up with Sean? He's been weird this morning. Actually, he was a little last night too," stated Jared, after his question. Newt just gave another shrug.

"I'm serious. Something's off with him. Do you think it has anything to do with what happened here with the fight and all?" pressed Jared. The stocky teen was a little sick and tired with only getting shrugs for answers from his two old friends.

"Really? I haven't noticed anything," the shy teen remarked before going back to finish off his second bowl of cereal.

On the other side of the kitchen, Harvey stood near the sink while he checked his phone.

"You sure you don't want an egg sandwich while you wait for an omelet, Harv?" Clive asked.

"No thanks. I'm fine with waiting."

"It's okay, hun. I'm sure someone besides Jeff will have one," Rachel reassured her husband over his breakfast choice to make.

At that moment, Gabriela returned to the kitchen with her empty plate. "Wonderful as always, Rachel. At least you picked up some talent from your mom."

"Very funny. You sure you don't want some more? I told you that smaller omelet wouldn't be enough," her ginger best friend inquired.

"That was plenty," Gabby remarked as she moved around Harvey to rinse her plate off in the sink. Finished, the buxom Latina bent down to place the plate in the dishwasher next to the sink. Her robe loosened, giving off a teasing glimpse of her cleavage to the two teen boys, although Newt wasn't looking.

"Delicious sight isn't it?" whispered a voice in Jared's ear opposite of Newt.

"What was that, Kimberly?" asked Gabriela. She had turned while still bent over, helping show off even more of her impressive cleavage under her robe.

"Oh, I just said that those omelets look delicious this morning," the platinum blonde responded.

"It looks like you're the one that claimed the shower earlier," Gabby remarked to Kimberly after seeing her dressed already. "I'm going to go and take a turn while everyone else is still eating." Jared gave a sigh of relief as his mother left the room.

"It's going to be a while before I can get to yours, Kim," noted Rachel.

"No rush. I'm sure I can find something to distract me," she responded while sliding her hand across Jared's upper thigh. That was the final straw for the stocky teen, and he jumped up.

"I'm going to grab my stuff and head back to the boathouse. Thanks for breakfast, Mrs. Stratton." He quickly moved to rinse off his plate and glass and fled to the main floor bathroom. Kimberly took his spot at the kitchen island.

"Sorry to interrupt everyone's breakfast," Harvey called out loudly, causing several conversations to break off. "The updated weather forecast just came in. Looks like we won't be able to go ice skating today."

"What! Oh, come on, Dad. It can't be that bad," Whitney protested from the dining room.

"There's a wind advisory, pumpkin. It goes into effect around noon. Steady winds close to forty miles per hour with gusts over fifty miles per hour. There's even expected to be a couple of inches of snow. Tomorrow looks much better with some scattered flurries," Harvey repeated what he had just read on his phone.

"Great. Just great," moaned Whitney.

"Look on the bright side, Whitney. Lacey's ankle was going to be a problem for her to skate today. By tomorrow it will hopefully be better," Ramsey told the disappointed blonde.

"I guess, but if we can't go outside, I don't know what we can do," replied a stumped Whitney.

"Well, we have new plans for tonight, if anyone is interested," Harvey announced. Curious, Whitney moved back over toward her father as he continued. "When I stopped over at the Vandermeers' cabin, Giles suggested a poker game with his brothers-in-law. I assumed that Fred would be interested. How about it, Jeff, Clive?"

"Why not. It could be fun," Jeff replied. "I haven't seen Rusty in a while."

"Clive?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Poker isn't really my thing," Clive responded. After his wife encouraged him to think about it, he added, "I'll consider it."

"So it's only new plans for you, Dad?" Whitney questioned with an annoyed look.

"Not at all. I invited the Tissle and Ridge kids to come over and hang you with you," Harvey explained.

"What?! Oh, come on! I don't want to play hostess to Cheyenne," Whitney complained, throwing her arms up into the air. "Nope, I'm not going to do it."

"Whitney," Harvey growled. "You'll remember your manners tonight."

"This is not the deal for the week!"

"Cheyenne's fine, Whit," Ramsey remarked, earning her a glare from the blonde.

"You will be a good hostess, pumpkin," Harvey warned.

"Thanks a lot, Father!" Whitney complained, storming out of the kitchen."

Shrugging at his daughter's antics, Harvey added, "This does screw up my dinner plans for tonight. I planned on a barbeque but not with those winds. Anyone have an idea about what we should have?"

"I don't, but we're going to need more eggs. Maybe we should make a grocery store run before the weather gets too rough," Clive suggested.

"That's a great idea. I'm in the mood for seafood, and I'll do the cooking. How about we go pick some up?" Jeff jumped into the conversation with his suggestion. Murmurs of agreement rang out around the room.

"Pick up what?" asked Fred as he came into the room.

"Doesn't matter, you're coming with us to the store too," Harvey informed his childhood friend. He wanted a break from Whitney, in case she brought up his limited sex life again or complained about the new guests.

"Egg sandwich, Fred?" asked Clive.

"Sure, why not." The sandy brown-haired man said, pleasing Clive, and mulled over where to sit.

"You can sit here, Mr. Singer," Newt offered. He didn't really feel comfortable in the kitchen by himself with all the adults he didn't know. After he cleaned his cereal bowl, Newt thought over his options. He didn't want to head back to the boathouse until after Austin cleaned up his mess. Still a little hungry, he grabbed a biscuit and went to sit in the sunroom.

---

Sean took a deep breath before he turned the knob on the bathroom door. I need to get a hold of myself and not get pushed around anymore by everyone. Opening the door, he walked right into Gabriela.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Lockett. Are you okay?" he asked the older woman, who he had knocked slightly into the wall.

"Yes, I'm fine. When did I suddenly become Mrs. Lockett? You've always called me Aunt Gabby," she reminded the young man.

"Uh, what?" Sean mumbled out, as his attention was distracted by the purple negligee that had been revealed when the sash on her robe had loosened further by their contact.

"Eyes up here, Seanie," Gabriela instructed with a point of her fingers. "I asked when did I become Mrs. Lockett to you after years of calling me Aunt Gabby."

"Sorry, Mrs. Lo--Aunt Gabby. I don't know why I stopped calling you that," Sean answered sheepishly, more because of what she had caught him staring at. "I'll try to remember."

"Good! Now, are you done in there?" she asked, referring to the bathroom. "Then I'm going to use it in a couple of minutes after I gather my things. Talk to you later."

Sean watched her walk the few steps toward her room and enter. He cursed himself for his wandering eye. You need to control yourself, Sean. Mom is here now, and she can't see you checking out her friends. At least I didn't have one of those daydreams. I guess that is progress for this morning.

Snapping out his thoughts, Sean walked over to the stairs but stopped as he heard someone coming down. Jared reached the bottom and flinched in surprise to see Sean standing right next to him.

"Shit, you almost gave me a heart attack," Jared remarked. "Hey, is everything okay? You seem a little out of it this morning?"

"Me? Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Maybe I just woke up too early," Sean said in a strained voice. "You might want to find somewhere to take a shower over here. Austin really made a mess in our bathroom."

"Eww, I guess I better. But I need to grab some clean clothes. Want to walk back with me? Maybe we can catch up a little."

"Uh, I think I'm going to stay over here for a little longer. Maybe, later on, we can hang out," suggested Sean, as he already started climbing up the stairs.

With Sean already gone, Jared didn't have a chance to respond. Something was going on with his friend, and he worried he might be part of it. He took a few steps toward the rec room, but movement from his right side caused him to look over. Just in front of the bathroom door, his mother had stopped. Her untied robe gave a glimpse of that purple negligee he saw last night in the moonlight.

"I'm going to take a shower. Did you need to use the bathroom before I start?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm going to head back over and grab some clean clothes."

"Okay, stay out of trouble," his mother replied and closed the door behind her.

Jared struggled to control the images that Ms. Goose had unleashed in his brain late last night. Fuck this! I need to take charge and get control of my life. And I'm going to start by figuring out what Sean's problem is, and there's only one person that will tell me.

---

Skye left her bedroom to head upstairs for breakfast but stopped at an odd sound. Listening, she heard what sounded like a moan or cry from behind the door across from her room. Tiptoeing over, she leaned forward against the door. That's definitely someone crying. She gently pushed open the door and peeked in.

Inside the laundry room, Skye could see Lacey near the sink making rapid movements with her hand, all the while crying. Oh, the poor thing.

"Lacey?"

The teenager showed off her cheerleader skills by jumping a good distance into the air. Trembling, she turned around to see who had said her name. Skye saw the tears running down the girl's face and rushed over to her.

"Lacey, what's wrong?

"It won't come out!" she sobbed loudly.

Gently placing her hand on the girl's arm, Skye asked the obvious question. "What won't come out?"

"This!" the teenager shrieked, holding up her coat.

"Oh, you spilled something on your coat. Let me have a look, okay," she offered, but Lacey clutched her coat and wouldn't hand it over. "Listen, I have a lot of experience cleaning stains from working in a restaurant all these years. Can I please see it?"

Sniffling, Lacey nodded and let the older woman take her jacket. Skye studied the spots. They looked white, but with the spot soaked with warm water, she couldn't be sure what she was looking at. "Okay, now do you know what you spilled on this?"

The upset girl mumbled out a strange word that Skye couldn't make out, so she repeated what she thought she heard. "Did you say cement?"

"No!" Lacey exclaimed before whispering the next part of her answer. "Semen, like a guy's cum."

"Oh!" Skye responded loudly. She was a little surprised, but she had been a sexually active teen herself. I guess it makes sense. She's here with her boyfriend. "Okay, I have had to clean a cum stain or two from my clothes over the years," she reassured the girl, who gave her a wide-eyed look. "Hey, I've been dating guys for far longer than you have."

"But what do we do. It won't come out!" whined the frightened redhead.

"First off, we don't use warm or hot water. As with most body fluids, semen is full of protein, and hot water will help make the stain permanent. Is there a bucket or container around here?" Skye asked while looking around the laundry room.

"Over here," Lacey noted and grabbed a bucket from the bottom of a metal shelf.

"Okay, we're going to fill this up with cold water and let the spots soak in it for a little while," Skye explained as she started to fill the bucket up.

"How long does it have to sit?" the teenager whimpered out.

"Long enough, but don't worry, we'll take care of it," Skye soothingly told her. "Now, do you see any stain remover in here?"

"No, I already looked," Lacey stated as she looked ready to start crying again.

"I figured so with this being a new cabin. We could ask, but I assume we don't want anyone else to know," she said as the teen quickly nodded.

"Don't worry, that was the easiest solution, but there are other ways," the brunette noted. "You stay here and make sure that jacket arm stays soaking in the cold water. I'm going to go get some seltzer water from behind the bar."

As the upset teenager eagerly nodded at her instruction, Skye left the laundry room. She carefully looked around to make sure no one else was in the rec room. A shower was running in the bathroom, but the rest of the area was empty. She quickly found a bottle of seltzer water and a few clean towels. That poor girl is terrified. After seeing the reaction her father had when he learned she was no longer a virgin, I'm going to make sure no one finds out this new secret.